Ease on down the road to The Wiz here in Chicago!

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Are you looking for alternative and awesome things to do during this holiday season? Well, THE WIZ is here!  You can experience the legendary performance, LIVE, with all the singing, dancing, and magic that The Wiz has to offer – for a limited time – (until December 10th at Chicago’s Cadillac Theater.) Chicago is one of many stops of the tour. 

Tour Dates

Cadillac Palace Theatre November 28–December 10, 2023, Chicago, Il

Des Moines Civic Center December 12-17, 2023 Des Moines, IA

ASU Gammage January 2-7, 2024 Tempe, AZ

Civic Theatre January 9-14, 2024 San Diego, CA

Golden Gate Theatre January 16–February 11, 2024, San Francisco, CA

Pantages Theatre February 13–March 3, 2024, Los Angeles, CA

 

The Cast

You are in for a treat, so be prepared to be amazed by the cast! The cast comprises a variety of talent, from television R&B artists to comedians. The Wiz features Deborah Cox as Glinda, and Alan Mingo Jr. will star in the role of the Wiz for the tour’s initial cities. Still, another star will join the San Francisco and Los Angeles cast in spring 2024. 

Melody A. Betts stars as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion. Playing the Tinman, Phillip Johnson Richardson and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow will make their Broadway debut.

Stars Deborah Cox and Melody Betts

The question remains: who will play Dorothy? A singer from Virginia was discovered in a TikTok video and was selected from more than 2,000 submissions for the star-studded role. Nichelle Lewis, a Singer-songwriter from Virginia who has competed on American Idol, has also toured in the production of Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Bare: A Pop Opera. She took first place in the young adult popular vote at the 2021 Music International Grand Prix. 

TikTok star Nichelle Lewis will play the role of Dorothy.

And of course, The Wiz would not be complete without Munchkins!

 

 

Celebrity Producers 

We know and love her from the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” since its creation, and she was one of the dynamic members of Xscape. The Wiz is being graced with talent of the dynamic duo, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker, who have signed on as producers of the Broadway revival of The Wiz. The production launched the national tour in Chicago on November 28 and is returning in spring 2024 at a theater in California.

Todd and Kandi – Photo by Bruce Glikas 

 

Interesting Facts about The Wiz

    • In 1975, the show premiered on Broadway and won seven Tony Awards, with Stephanie Mills as Dorothy. 

    • Diana Ross took over for the 1978 film adaptation, which also starred Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor as the Wiz.

    • The Wiz is one of the first Broadway hits with an all African-American Cast.

    • Stephanie Mills was set to play Dorothy in the movie because the producers felt Diana Ross was too old for the role. After all, Dorothy is 12 years old in the book, but Diana convinced them otherwise.

    • The Wiz was considered one of the major films of the Blaxploitation movement, along with Foxy Brown and SuperFly.

    • The movie was a commercial failure with a $24 million budget and only earning $13.6 million.

For more information about The Wiz in Chicago, click HERE.

 

Fellowship Fleet Limousine and Bus Company is ready to help make an evening out to see The Wiz even more magical by handling your travel arrangements. To book your reservation, click HERE.

 

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